Gubernatorial candidate Randy Boyd talks law and order with local police

Randy Boyd met with officials from West Tennessee to address their public safety concerns for the area.
MARANDA FARIS/The Jackson Sun

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Tennessee gubernatorial candidate Randy Boyd held a round-table forum with law enforcement officials in and around Madison County, Thursday afternoon during his stop in Jackson.(Photo: KENNETH CUMMINGS/The Jackson Sun)Buy Photo

Randy Boyd is making a "wish list" his to-do list if elected governor.

That wish list is one based on the concerns and issues that police departments, sheriff's offices, and district attorneys across Tennessee face daily. Boyd said he wants those problems to become a part of his priorities if he is elected.

"If I'm going to be able to serve them, I need to listen to them," Boyd said. "One of the things that I do hope we talk about today is opioids, and I hope that these officials see that the state can do a better job at helping them stop the opioid crisis that we have."

Boyd held his first round-table discussion Thursday in Jackson with West Tennessee police and district attorneys to hear their concerns. He said he wanted to start in Jackson first because his family is from West Tennessee.

"This seems like a natural place to start," he said. "I'm a seventh-generation Tennessean. The first six generations are from West Tennessee."

Boyd gave three points of concern that he said he has heard from sheriffs and police chiefs already across the state, including the opioid epidemic, their most pressing public safety concerns, and what their goals are for each of their departments and how the state could help achieve those goals.

"We're bringing law enforcement officials from all over West Tennessee, rural West Tennessee, to give me some advice and counsel on what the next governor can do to improve the situation in West Tennessee for them," Boyd said.

Boyd said he has met with around 60 sheriffs across the state and has toured their jails already over the past six months, hearing about what problems they face.

"It's going to be great to have everyone together to have a group discussion," he said. "One of the number one jobs for the governor is public safety. We've got to support our local law enforcement officers, and the best way we can know how to serve them is to listen to them."

Reach Maranda at (731) 425-9657 or at mfaris2@jacksonsun.com. Follow her on Twitter: @MarandaFaris